Remaking America

Re “Does Trump want to Make America White Again?” (Foon Rhee, Aug. 6): Donald Trump can’t require that all immigrants legally entering the country be white but perhaps thinks requiring that they already speak English is the next best way to produce his desired result. He’s clearly doing all he can to help us poor, downtrodden whites already here and promote racial conflict in the process. Sometimes I think that nothing but an all-out race war would satisfy him. Still, to be completely honest, I’ve always thought that the lottery system for legal entry and basing it on extended family connections is kind of ridiculous. The suggestions made for a merit-based system may actually have some merit, but in the current atmosphere of hate and fear will never fly. Race and, for that matter, language requirements are not the answer, although requiring that immigrants speak at least four languages is a condition I’d support. We’d get smarter, better applicants and narrow the field a bit that way.

Nora J. Coryell, Jackson

Illegal votes

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Re “On Voting Rights Act anniversary, ‘the greatest threat to voting rights in the past half-century’” (California Forum, Aug. 6): Secretary of State Alex Padilla is right. Voting rights are under attack. My voting rights and those of untold numbers of other eligible voters. Every vote cast illegally nullifies the vote of an eligible voter, effectively disenfranchising that voter. Voter fraud happens. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. Dead people are on the voting rolls and somehow vote. Individuals vote multiple times, often in different jurisdictions. Noncitizens vote. The secretary of state has a duty to eliminate such fraud to the extent possible. Padilla could help by cooperating with the Election Integrity Commission. The commission will not suppress voting opportunity but restrict it to people who actually have the right to vote. New laws Padilla describes to enhance voter registration are fine but do nothing to remedy and prevent voter fraud here in California. Padilla should protect the integrity of the California’s voting process.

Randy Nelson, Roseville

Wrong direction

Secretary of State Alex Padilla believes the Election Integrity Commission is a sham and refuses to participate. If any state had substantial voter fraud, it was California, home to 3 million illegal immigrants. All one has to do to vote is to fill out the form and mark “yes” next to citizen. No one checks if you’re actually a citizen because you never have to show an ID. Padilla claims Republicans are engaged in voter suppression because they support showing an ID before voting. In his world, it’s 1963 Alabama and there’s a Bull Connor at every voting place. If there was no fraud, why doesn’t he cooperate with the Election Integrity Commission and prove it. The only voter suppression in the last election was my vote being canceled by people who are in this country and voting illegally. Between this nonsense and sanctuary cities, one can see where this state is headed, and it’s not in the right direction.

William Sullivan, Carmichael

Ignoring fraud

California’s chief elections officer, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, decries an outside effort to determine possible voter fraud but doesn’t know if there is and will do nothing to find out. He lauds efforts to make voting more anonymous and further simplifying registration with no substantial eligibility verification, all increasing possible fraud. He ignores the article in the Los Angeles Times about dead people voting, and that a disc jockey registered his dog. California Forum also printed a column advocating permitting noncitizens to vote. No need to know anything about our history, our government or our culture. No assimilation, just pay taxes and vote. Absurd, or is it our country’s dissolution? Is there voter fraud? Some. The question is how much. Apparently, our politicians are afraid to look.

Bill Jurkovich, Citrus Heights

Russian meddling

Re “You heard me, California: Give noncitizens the right to vote” (California Forum, Aug. 6): Writer Joe Mathews’ suggestion is excellent, but it doesn’t go far enough. If California can import votes from Mexico and Guatemala, why couldn’t Donald Trump’s administration import judges from Iran, cops from North Korea, and Environmental Protection Agency staffers from China? How about economists from Russia? Never mind, that’s been done. Almost everyone in the world is affected by American elections and policies, so by Mathews’ logic, they should all have a voice and a vote. Why are we investigating Russia’s supposed role in our elections? By Mathews’ thinking, they’re just exercising their rights.

Martin Owens, Sacramento

Sanctuary state

Re “California’s ‘sanctuary state’ bill will just protect criminals” (California Forum, Aug. 6): Bill Brown, president of the California State Sheriff’s Association, presents several compelling points that Senate Bill-54 will do little to enhance the safety of Californians. On the other hand, the executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, Cynthia Buiza, presents counterpoints that only substantiate her disdain for Trump. Buiza’s disdain not only outweighs her concern for public safety, but also her ability to present a compelling argument.

John DeKellis, Rocklin

Rattlesnakes

Re “Scared of rattlesnakes? They’re not as dangerous as some people think” (sacbee.com, Aug. 6): The article quotes a biologist as saying the Northern Pacific variety is the only breed of rattlesnake encountered in California. It’s the only species found in Northern California, but there are six species in the state. The biologist’s statement that rattlesnakes are not aggressive may hold true for the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, but people would disagree that it applies to rattlesnakes generally. The speckled rattlesnake, diamondback rattlesnake, and Mojave rattlesnake, all found in California, have been described as aggressive.